Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Wednesday 1 September 1999

Scottish Executive

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the fisheries schemes which have been administered for each of the last ten financial years, the amounts of funds allocated to each scheme for each financial year, the total number of applications received and the total number of successful applications made for each scheme.

Mr John Home Robertson: During the last 10 financial years fisheries aid schemes were administered under EU Regulations 355/77; 4028/86; 4042/89 and 3699/93. In addition, The Scottish Office operated "back-up" grants schemes which provided the requisite Member State contribution to trigger EU grant aid.

  We are unable to provide the precise number of applications for the regulations prior to 1993 but since then 876 applications were received of which 597 were successful.

  Measures assisted were vessel construction; vessel modernisation; processing and marketing of fishery produce; promotion of fishery products; fishing port facilities and aquaculture.

  Assistance was also available for fishery harbour development works and details are provided separately in answer to PQ No S1W–863.

  The table shows the amounts by which the industry benefited under each Regulation in each of the last 10 years.

  EXPENDITURE UNDER FISHERIES SCHEMES FROM 1989-90 – 1998-99

  


Regulation 


89-90 


90-91 


91-92 


92-93 


93-94 



355/77 

849,426 


730,306 


1,296,606 


1,720,788 


266,468 



4028/86 

3,374,925 


4,121,099 


2,156,423 


3,616,942 


945,051 



4042/89 

- 


- 


- 


73,200 


2,193,217 



3699/93 

- 


- 


- 


- 


- 



Back-up 

317,373 


331,932 


286,206 


931,412 


585,178 



TOTAL 

4,541,724 


5,183,337 


3,739,235 


6,342,342 


3,989,914 




  


Regulation 


94-95 


95-96 


96-97 


97-98 


98-99 



355/77 

204,102 


535,707 


4,756 


- 


- 



4028/86 

1,536,070 


2,221,528 


839,569 


195,290 


- 



4042/89 

2,680,157 


2,546,706 


249,582 


- 


- 



3699/93 

- 


1,450,458 


3,692,247 


2,247,591 


2,960,687 



Back-up 

665,596 


870,218 


590,571 


674,884 


526,118 



TOTAL 

5,085,925 


7,624,617 


5,376,725 


3,117,765
Grand Total 


3,486,805
£48,388,389

Health

Paul Martin (Glasgow Springburn) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide the minutes of meetings held between its officials and Greater Glasgow Health Board regarding the proposed secure unit at Stobhill hospital.

Susan Deacon: There are no formal minutes of meetings between The Scottish Executive and Greater Glasgow Health Board regarding the proposed local forensic unit at Stobhill Hospital.

Local Government

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much revenue was raised through the car park trading account of each local authority in 1997-98; what was the expenditure on car parking facilities for each local authority in Scotland in 1997-98, and what was the accumulated balance held in the car park trading account of each local authority in Scotland at the end of financial year 1997-98.

Mr Jack McConnell: Information on local authority car park trading accounts is not held centrally.

Planning

Mr Nick Johnston (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it will give individuals to take action against local authorities which refuse to enforce planning regulations.

Sarah Boyack: Planning authorities in Scotland have the primary responsibility for taking whatever enforcement action may be necessary, in the public interest, in their administrative area.

  Failure on the part of the planning authority to take enforcement action against a breach of planning control may be subject to a referral to the Commissioner for Local Administration in Scotland.

  There are no plans at present to introduce additional powers for individuals to take action against a local authority where no enforcement action has been taken.

Transport

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it proposes to examine the possibility of establishing a direct ferry link between Anstruther and North Berwick.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is currently part-funding a study of fast ferry links on routes between Granton, Rosyth and Burntisland in the context of its involvement with the Forth Transport Infrastructure Partnership. The findings of this study will be available later this year. The ferry study is one element of a wide-ranging consideration by the Partnership of options for cross-Forth travel.

  The Executive has no plans to investigate the possibility of a direct ferry service between Anstruther and North Berwick.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Accommodation

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will take steps to install effective cooling equipment in the Parliament canteen to address effectively the working conditions of staff and, if so, what the timescale will be for completion of these works.

Sir David Steel: I visited all parts of the Scottish Parliament’s buildings in the Parliament’s temporary estate during the recess. A number of alterations are being considered by the SPCB following complaints by Members and staff. Like Members, staff are having to work in less than ideal conditions, and in the case of the kitchen, unacceptable.

  The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body agreed at its meeting on 23 August that additional air conditioning should be installed in the restaurant and kitchen in Parliament Headquarters. There are planning and procurement procedures to be followed but it is hoped that the work will be completed by mid-November.